The invention relates to a pane with an electrical connection element and a flexible connection cable, a method for its production, as well as its use.
The invention further relates to a pane with an electrical connection element for vehicles with electrically conductive structures such as, for example, heating conductors or antenna conductors. The electrically conductive structures are customarily provided with soldered-on electrical connection elements that are connected to the vehicle's electrical system via connection cables.
The connection cables to the vehicle's electrical system are typically not connected directly to the connection elements. Instead, the connection elements are provided with comparatively short connection parts that are customarily equipped with a plug connector. The panes can be produced prefabricated with the connection elements along with connection parts. At the time of installation in the vehicle body, the connection parts of the connection elements can then be connected to the vehicle's electrical system very simply and time-savingly with the connection cables, in particular, by means of a plug connection.
The connection part can be a stiff element. One example of a stiff connection part with a plug connector is known from EP 1488972 A1—however, numerous other designs are conceivable. The advantage of a stiff connection part resides in the capability of simple, time-saving connection of the connection cable to the vehicle's electrical system, which is consequently particularly suited to mass production. Due to the stiffness, the worker can plug the connection cable onto the connection part with one hand. However, the stiff connection part is associated with the disadvantage that shearing and leverage forces that strain the solder connection between the connection element and the pane can occur at the time the connection cable is plugged on.
The mechanical straining of the solder connection is problematic in particular with lead-free soldering compounds, which will assume increasing significance in the future. Thus, for example, due to the End-of-Life Vehicle Directive 2000/53/EC, lead-containing solders must be replaced by lead-free solders within the EU. However, lead-free solders typically have significantly less ductility than lead-containing solders and are frequently significantly more brittle. Consequently, lead-free soldering compounds are incapable of compensating mechanical strains to the same extent.
In order to avoid the mechanical strains at the time of plugging on the connection cable as a result of shearing and leverage forces, the connection parts can be implemented as flexible connection cables. The flexible connection cables can, for example, be implemented as flat-weave ribbons, which are provided with a plug connector. Connection elements with flexible connection cables are known, for example, from DE 4439645 C1 and DE 9013380 U1. Shearing and leverage forces are, to be sure, prevented by this; however, the connection cable can be plugged onto the flexible connection cable with one hand only with difficulty or not at all. Usually, the worker will need both hands: one to hold the connection cable in place and the other to guide the connection cable. This increases the production-technology cycle times and is, consequently, disadvantageous for industrial mass production.
In light of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved pane with an electrical connection element and a flexible connection cable. The connection cable should, in particular, be suitable to be connected with one hand to a connection cable to an external electrical component such as an external power supply.